Gamecock Women Secure 10 Additional Tickets to NCAA Outdoor Championship
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 30, 2026) – South Carolina Track & Field women’s team put on a display on Saturday afternoon, punching 10 tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championship. The Gamecocks had 15 opportunities on Saturday and took full advantage of the mantra instilled by Head Coach Tim Hall – “when you have a lane, you have a shot”.
The Gamecocks took advantage of that first shot in the women’s 4x100m relay as Alexis Brown, Cynteria James, Kymora-Lee Williams and JaMeesia Ford ran a new program record and facility record. The quartet turned in a time of 42.32 for the top time in the East Region for the first ticket punched on Saturday.
Salma Elbadra continued the momentum, finishing runner-up in her heat of the 1500m after running 4:10.62 to earn an automatic spot into the semifinals in Eugene. Joslyn Hamilton was the next to advance, doing so in the 100-meter hurdles, earning the final at-large position after running 12.98 (1.1) to finish 12th overall in the event. The Gamecocks advanced two student-athletes out of the 100m dash, led by Cynteria James with the fastest time on the team at 11.06 (0.3) to place eighth overall. James was followed by Ford who earned an automatic spot after finishing 10th overall in the field, running 11.10 (1.3).
The Gamecocks also advanced two participants in both the 400-meter hurdles and the 200m dash. Akala Garrett turned in a new 2026 collegiate best time after running 53.87 for a new facility record and the second fastest time in Gamecock history. With Garrett taking the top spot overall, Kyndall Harrington-Spain was close behind after posting the fifth best time in the meet, running a new personal best 400mH mark of 55.37. Harrington-Spain’s new personal best now sits fifth all-time in school history. Ford and Brown advanced in the 200m, with Ford running the second fastest time overall at 22.22 (0.2) and Brown clocking 22.69 (0.8) for the fifth best mark in the field.
The final punctuation mark for the Gamecocks came in the women’s 4x400m relay with Garrett, James, Ford and Harrington-Spain running 3:28.27 to finish seventh overall and second in the heat to earn the automatic spot.
In all this week, the Gamecocks secured 14 combined tickets punched to Eugene, including 12 on the women’s side. Tristen Harris (long jump) and Jathiyah Muhammad (pole vault) join the 10 entries from the women’s side today, while Jaouad Khchina (1500m) and Devan Crumpton (400m) will represent the men’s team.
South Carolina will conclude the 2026 outdoor season in two weeks when the Gamecocks travel to Eugene, Ore. for the NCAA Outdoor Championship. The four-day meet will begin on Wednesday, June 10 and conclude on Saturday, June 13 at Hayward Field.
Women’s Individual Results
100 Meters (Quarterfinals)
8. Cynteria James – 11.06Q (0.3)
10. JaMeesia Ford – 11.10Q (1.3)
19. Alexis Brown – 11.25 (1.1)
22. Kymora-Lee Williams – 11.32 (0.3)*
200 Meters (Quarterfinals)
2. JaMeesia Ford – 22.22Q (0.2)
5. Alexis Brown – 22.69Q (0.8)
20. Kymora-Lee Williams – 23.17 (0.8)
1500 Meters (Quarterfinals)
7. Salma Elbadra – 4:10.62Q
5000 Meters (Semifinals)
44. Anya Arroyo – 16:43.07
4×100 Meter Relay (Quarterfinals)
1. Brown, James, Williams, Ford – 42.32Q
4×400 Meter Relay (Quarterfinals)
7. Garrett, James, Ford, Harrington-Spain – 3:28.27Q
100-Meter Hurdles (Quarterfinals)
12. Joslyn Hamilton – 12.98q (1.1)
400-Meter Hurdles (Quarterfinals)
1. Akala Garrett – 53.87Q
5. Kyndall Harrington-Spain – 55.37Q*
3000-Meter Steeplechase (Quarterfinals)
19. Teresa Cherotich – 10:12.62
* – denotes outdoor collegiate PR
